Harmony Returns Again
This story belongs to NotAGothChick101 and FossilsDaDaDa. Do NOT edit without permission. Thank you. Chapter 1 Twilight Sparkle sat in her library, reading one of her favorite books. Her mate, Panja, was playing with their son, Mozart. Twilight's dragon companion, Spike, who had just been taking a nap, sat up and yawned. Suddenly, he burped and a scroll came out of his mouth. "That must be the princess!" Panja said. Spike yawned again and fell back asleep. Twilight used her magic to lift the scroll in the air, just close enough to her face to read it clearly. She cleared her throat, and read the message aloud: "Dear Twilight Sparkle, I, Princess Celestia, request your immediate presence in Canterlot. Please bring the other Five as well. Sincerely, Princess Celestia" "'The other Five'? What does she mean?" Panja asked. "I think she means my friends," said Twilight. "Let's see..." Panja said, trying to remember them. But it was Mozart who remembered them all first. "Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack." "Very good!" said Twilight, proud that her son had a good memory. "Well, we'd better round them up and get going." "Agreed," said Panja. * Twilight and her family stood outside with a couple other ponies. "Okay, so we've found Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy (as well as their families)," she said. "Now we need Rainbow Dash and Applejack." "I'll go see if she's at the farm," Mozart offered. "Okay, but please be back soon," said Twilight. As Mozart ran off, Twilight turned to her husband. "I'm a bit worried," said Twilight. "Why?" asked Panja. "Rainbow Dash--it's not like her to not be--" "--controlling the weather while flying as fast as lightning?" Panja finished. (He finished a lot of his mate's sentences for her.) "Exactly!" said Twilight. "I think I might know why," a quiet male voice said. Twilight and Panja turned around. Fluttershy's mate, Kimba had spoken. "Go on," said Panja. "Well," Kimba said, louder but still soft, "We saw her some days ago. It was a very short meeting, but she looked like she was expecting." "Ah," said Twilight. "It must be a bit harder for her to fly in her condition." "A bit?" Panja snorted. "Do you remember how large your middle was when you were--" "Okay, okay, Mr. Smarty Pants," said Twilight. "I get what you're saying." "So I guess that's why we haven't seen her," said Panja. "It must be more difficult for her to fly. I mean, she could walk, but that would be just as tiring I'd think." Twilight Sparkle nodded in agreement. Just then, Mozart came back with Applejack and her mate, Rune, and her young colt, AppleSeed. "I found her!" Mozart said proudly. "Found R.D. yet?" "I'm afraid not," said Panja. "Odd..." said Rune. "OH RAINBOW DASH!" Pinkie Pie suddenly shouted. "COME HERE!" she added, bouncing up and down. "COME HERE!" "I'm coming!" a familiar voice shouted in the distance. Just then, Rainbow Dash herself appeared out of the clouds. She was flying more slowly than usual, and was gasping for breath as she flew. Then she landed softly on the ground, looking exhausted. Her belly was huge, indicating that she was indeed expecting a foal. "Hey everypony," she said, smiling a little. "Wazzup?" "Princess Celestia wants to see us," said Panja. "What for?" "We don't know yet." "That's helpful. Okay, but don't let me slow you down," said Rainbow. "It's hard when you're carrying around...uh...extra weight." * "Oh, thank goodness," said Celestia. The ponies had just arrived in Canterlot. "We have a major problem at hoof, one which threatens the very existence of all life in Equestria." "What is it, your Majesty?" Twilight asked. "I thought Discord was taken care of once and for all..." "No, it's not that," said Celestia. "It's worse." "What could possibly be worse than that?" Fluttershy asked, her face looking nervous. Well, more nervous than usual. "It's...a dragon," Celestia said grimly. "A what?" Fluttershy cowered. She was deathly afraid of dragons. "...That's it?" Rainbow asked, unimpressed. "Just a measly ol' dragon? Pish-aw, no problem! We took down one of those overgrown turkeys a while back, and it was a piece of cake!" "Yes, but it's...different, this time," said Celestia. Twilight gulped. "Princess Celestia, what's going on?" she asked in a worried tone. Celestia hesitated for a minute. Then her horn lit up, and she used her magic to create a screen of some sort in front of her subjects. She began to narrate the events they saw appearing on the screen. "Thousands of years ago, I had a dragon companion like Twilight Sparkle does. His name was Apophis. He was the most loyal, most talented, and trustworthy dragon I ever knew. I knew him since he was an egg, so he was almost like a brother of some sort to me. But when I got my phoenix, Philomena, Apophis became jealous and thought he'd been replaced, not unlike the predicament between you and Spike, in fact, Twilight. So he ran away, far away from Canterlot. I tried to reason with him, but he was far to stubborn. My sister, Princess Luna, and I eventually found him, but he had gone rogue. Despite our combined strength, he had gotten so powerful we were both lucky to escape with our lives. And I never saw him again...until recently." "So, when ya say 'Thousands o' years ago'" said Applejack in her twangy, southern accent "What exactleh' does that much time do to a dragon?" "I think Twilight can answer that." The Princess replied. "That I can." she said "Dragons age at a very slow rate, but they never stop growing. And due to their massive size and power, their lifespan is very difficult to predict. There have been rumors of some dragons reaching seven thousand years old, or even older!" "Wow!" squeaked Pinky "Dragons sure must have a lot of parties!" "Enough of that chit-chat, gals." said Applejack "Princess, this dragon friend o' yer's sounds mighty bad an' all, but why do ya need our help with 'im? Wait, don't tell me...we need to wield those elements one more time, don't we" "Yes and no. Actually, Applejack, it's not you six specifically that I need." "It's not?" said Pinky. "No. It's your sons and daughters that represent the elements now." "What?" Gasped Rarity in her most dramatic tone. "Mah AppleSeed?" said Applejack "I read something like this in the Elements of Harmony Reference Guide..." Six pairs of eyes turned to Twilight. "What did you see?" asked Rainbow. Twilight cleared her throat, and continued. "I read that when the next generation is born, the Elements are passed down to them when the right time comes. So we no longer represent them, but our children do now." "But...one hasn't been born yet..." Rainbow said. "How on Equestria is her kid supposed to represent the element if he ain't even alive yet?" asked Applejack. There was an awkward silence. Then Fluttershy turned to Rainbow and asked, "Well, um...how long exactly until he or she arrives?" "Not sure," said Rainbow, "But it should be soon." "Maybe he'll be born RIGHT NOWWWW!" Pinkie Pie said, bouncing up and down. Rainbow glanced back at her huge belly. "...Nope, nothin'," she said. "So, what are we gonna do?" she asked. "Hmmm..." said Twilight. "Well, if it's going to be soon, maybe we should camp out near the dragon's lair, but far away enough to not be spotted. Then we can wait until the baby is born." "Well..." said Rainbow. "I guess that's the only option, really." "Yer not scared, are yeh, Dash?" teased Applejack, nudging her with her elbow. "Me?! Rainbow Dash?! Scared of a silly old dragon?! Pft, don't make me laugh. I ain't scared of anything!" "Okay," said Twilight. "What do all of you say?" Pinkie, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy and the Princess all nodded. "That will work," said Celestia, "But please be careful." "We will," said Twilight. Chapter 2 "Rainbow Dash, you're...walking..." said Mozart, astounded. He and the others all looked amazed at this. Seeing Rainbow Dash walking was like, as Pinkie Pie put it, seeing a chicken flying. It was possible, but was only done when absolutely necessary. "Yeah," said Rainbow. "My condition has been making it kinda hard." "So...what are you going to name him?" Mozart asked. "Bolt," said Rainbow. "It's what his dad wanted." "Cool," said Mozart. "But what if it's a filly?" Rainbow shrugged "It's a gender neutral name, I guess." In secret, she really wanted a colt. "So...what happened to his dad?" he asked, a little uneasily. "I...uh..." she started, not wanting to answer for some reason. She was interrupted by a lot of giggling nearby. You see, Pinkie Pie had twins, a filly named Tinkie Pie and a colt named Winkie Pie, and they were both very much like their mother. It was driving Mozart out of his mind. He didn't mind laughter (or Pinkie Pie for that matter) but three ponies all laughing at the same time, while they were on a somewhat dangerous mission was too much. "So...much...laughing..." he groaned, covering his ears with his hooves. "Just ignore them," said Rainbow with a smirk. "We're here!" came Twilight's voice. The ponies were now standing by a massive canyon. It was quite narrow, but still very steep. Lining the walls were countless caves, some huge, others only big enough for two ponies to squeeze into. Along the side of the gorge were scratches, the kind Zecora would call "Earth's battle scars", and other evidence that a dragon was indeed dwelling here. It also, to Pinkie Pie's immense delight, was an excelent place to hear an echo. "Okay, here's the plan," said Twilight. "We're gonna need a lookout, first of all. My apologies Fluttershy, but you're the only one who can fly right now, so that'll have to be you." Fluttershy gulped. "Well...okay..." she squeaked. "You'll do fine, Mama," said Mayfly, Fluttershy's daughter. Fluttershy sighed, then smiled a little at her. "Okay, so anyway," said Twilight. "Now the rest of us are going to hide in one of those caves." "Then what?" asked Rainbow. Twilight sighed. "And then...we wait." * Night fell. The ponies all curled up in the cave, keeping their foals close by their side, wrapping their tails around them. It was cold, but they were able to stay plenty warm enough by hudling close together. Every once in a while, a pony would turn over or mumble. Even in their sleep, each of them had the same thoughts in mind: Would the dragon find them? Would FLuttershy be brave enough to be their lookout? And when would Rainbow's foal arrive? Then it happened. Twilight's ears twitched, straining to hear a faint noise in the cave. Then it grew louder and louder, until she realized it was a moan. Her eyes snapped open, and she saw Rainbow Dash was awake, and seemed to be in pain. "The baby?" she whispered. Rainbow nodded, her face screwed up. "Ow..." By this time, the others were yawning and rubbing their eyes. They had heard the noise too. Then they suddenly became wide awake as Rainbow cried out. "Oh, sweet sister o' celery..." said Applejack "It's time..." "The dragon's coming!" Fluttershy buzzed into the cave, panting from her long flight, a look of terror on her face. "I saw him! He's gonna be here any second!" "What are we going to do?" asked Twilight, panic rising into her throat. "Rainbow's foal is coming right now!" -- "OhmygoshohmygoshohmyGOSH!" squealed Pinkie. She didn't seem at all daunted about the scaly terror that was outside "I can't believe the foal is coming RIGHT NOWWWW! "Pinkie Pie, this is no time for celebrating!" scolded Twilight. "Awww..." Tilight turned to her firends "Rarity, you and Pinkie go outside and make a diversion." "Oh, if I muuuust..." she pouted. "Yes you "muuuust'" Twilight immitated her pompus voice. "Applejack, you stay here and keep Rainbow's head on her shoulders. Fluttershy and I will get the kids to a safer place. We all clear?" "Yes!" said four voices (Rainbow wasn't really paying attention). -- "Mama, what's wrong with Aunt Dashie?" asked Mayfly as her mother lead her and the other young ponies to the end of the cave. "Why is her tummy so poofy?" Fluttershy stuck her head outside, looking this way and that for any sign of the dragon. "She's going to have a baby, Sweetie." Mayfly gasped "Then how come she looks so sad? She should be so happy!" "She is happy, May." she said, stroking her daughter's mane. "She's just scared that the dragon is gonna come and try to gobble him up." "Well, if he even trahed," said Appleseed "I know Ma would show 'im who's boss." Fluttershy turned to Twilight. "No sign of him" she said. "Odd." said Twilight "Considering how fast dragons are capable of flying, you'd think he'd have made it here by now. Shy, are you absolutely certain he was heading this way?" "Well, um...almost." "How can you be almost certain of something? You either are, or you're not." "Well, he was flying this way, but it's so dark out I don't even know if he'd see us. He had such a bad cataract on one of his eyes..." "Cataract? I didn't even know dragons could get cataracts..." "Either way, we need to get the babies to a safer place." "Ah ain't no baby!" squawked Appleseed, offended. "Ah can take care 'o myself!" "Listen to Fluttershy, Appleseed" said Twilight sternly. So, starting with Mayfly, each of the young ponies was taken one-by-one to another, smaller cave that was so hard to see that Twilight needed to use a locating spell to find it. "If anything bad happens, call us immediately." said Fluttershy, giving Mayfly a hug and a kiss. "Mozart, you're in charge." "I won't fail you, Ma'am." said Mozart, giving her an honoring bow. "That's my brave little boy" said Twilight admiringly as she and Fluttershy departed. -- "Owww..." Rainbow Dash lay on her back on the floor of the cave, hugging herself against the pain. "Owww-AHHHH!" She lurched upward as another contraction shot through her. "It's okay, Sugar Cube" AppleJack soothed, resting her back down with her hoof "It's all-raht, just breathe...nice and easy, like I told ya' to..." "It hurts..." Rainbow croaked, grudgingly rubbing involuntary tears out of her dark rose eyes. "Ah' know it hurts, Dash, believe me, ah' do. But yer gonna be okay, ah' promise. Ah've helped out with nearleh' every birthin' that ever happened on the farm, and ponies ain't half as hard to handle as them nanny goats. Don't ya'll get yerself all worried now, yer in good hooves." "How can I not worry when there's a dragon of unknown size and deadliness right outside?!" Applejack glanced at the entrance. "Yeh got a point there. Wait a sec...Ah' thought you were the one who said you weren't afraid o' nuthin'." Rainbow folded her hooves defensively "I'm not." "Yeh just said you were." "I'm not scared, I'm worried. There's a difference, you know." Applejack rolled her eyes "Whatever yeh' say, Dash." -- "Pinkie, think of a distraction already!" Twilight shouted, starting to loose patience. "I'm thinking, I'm thinking!" Pinkie said, cheerful as usual. "Let's see...inflatable turkey? Nah... Angry sporks? Hey, does anyone have a banjo?" Rarity slapped her hoof against her face. "Ohh, please just decide on something!" She said, very much annoyed. Pinkie thought for a minute. Then bounced then turned in midair toward Twilight and Rarity, and stated what she had in mind. Rarity groaned, but Twilight just ignored her and said, "That could work! be continued. Category:Stories